Monday, March 3, 2014

Monday Mornings

One of the very best things about retirement is that I don't have to go to work on Monday mornings. I have a very long list of things I am thankful for, and staying home on Monday mornings is right at the top of that list.

It isn't that I disliked my last job. I have had several jobs over the years and the one I was working when I retired was probably the most fun. I worked for a friend who has a dog grooming shop right next door to the building where I live. The morning commute was wonderful. I once counted 57 steps from my apartment door, down the steps and out on the sidewalk to the front door of the shop. My job was to give the dogs a bath, dry them and brush them out afterwards. I have always been a dog person, so the job was right up my alley.

It isn't that I can sleep late. Sleeping late doesn't work well for me. I am usually awake before the sun comes up. That is a habit of long standing. I have east facing living room windows and one of my little pleasures in life is to sip my first cup of coffee of the day, seated in my rocking chair, watching the sunrise. The dogs have been fed and are napping, but the cat sometimes warms my lap and purrs contentedly in the early dawn.

I think it is the knowledge that Monday mornings are mine to with as I please. Sometimes on a Monday morning I will stir up enough bread to last the week and set it to rising. Other Monday mornings I will sit at my kitchen table and get my grocery list ready for a trip to the store. And some Mondays in the warmer months I will grab Jessie Jane's leash and off we will go for a walk down by the river in the cool of the morning.

I think of my kids who are headed to their jobs on Mondays. All four of them are hard workers. I am proud to say that there isn't a slacker in the bunch. I worry that when their time comes to relax and enjoy retirement, they won't be blessed with the opportunity as I have been. I hope I am wrong, for by then they will have earned a rest. I want them to be able to know the peace and contentment that their mother now enjoys. And to be able to do whatever they wish on a Monday morning.

Vicki, I am so like you...love these mornings that I can get up when I want and do what I want! I highly recommend retirement, too. I did not work a job these last 30 years, I married a cotton farmer. Not a dull moment with farm life. I am now a widow and live on the farmstead but rent out the land. I have 15 hens that I still take care of besides my dog and 3 cats. It is a peaceful life MOST of the time. I watch the sunrises and sunsets, also. I sit at my kitchen table and enjoy the sunrise and the birds at my feeders. Oh, and I like those naps, too!!

Since my shop is closed Sundays and Mondays I sleep a bit beyond sunrise every Monday morning - then I dress and drive to work. Ah, self-employment. You have a nice morning routine. I truly believe retirement, like many wonderful things, is a thing of the past in this new America.

CottonLady...Ah, a girl after my own heart! I think it is the freedom to decide what to do with my day that I like the most. Other than my two Yorkies and my fat cat, and occasional get-togethers with family, I have very few demands on my time. Even though I, too, am a widow, I have found that living alone doesn't bother me at all. I love the peace and quiet, at least as much peace and quiet as one can find in a town apartment! Which is probably why I enjoy sunrises, before the town comes awake. And naps are a good thing!!

Stephen...I truly love the early morning cup of coffee and an occasional gorgeous sunrise. It is something I can enjoy, even living in a town. I am afraid you may be right about retirement. I will consider myself very lucky if Social Security lasts longer than I do. Not that I plan on going anywhere soon. I have always said that I intended to live long enough to be a problem to my children. Of course, they may think I have already reached my goal!!

Rob...I think if I had been forced into retirement, it probably would have taken me more time to adjust. But it was an opportunity that presented itself and was in my best interests to go ahead and retire. I find that I am loving every minute of it.

David...I understand completely, Son! That's sort of like needing a vacation to rest up from your vacation! You and Staci are doing a great job of raising my grandkids, but I can see how after a weekend home with them, you might need a break.Love, Mom

Do you ever feel "adrift."I worked since I was 17, and I find retirement a mixed blessing. On the one hand, no more kowtowing to greedy, morally corrupt bosses. On the other, it really doesn't seem to matter if you get up or not.

Harry...I understand the feeling of being "adrift," but I haven't seemed to have experienced it as yet. My circumstances may have been a bit different from yours. I worked physically demanding jobs most of my adult life. My husband was chronically ill for the 20 years we were married up until his death a year before I retired. I don't quite know how to say this without sounding cold and uncaring, but I have found that relief from the physical demands of a job combined with the fact that I no longer have the stress of caring for someone who needed constant supervision as well as doctors and hospital visits and ambulance rides due to seizures, has given me a sense of freedom. I wish he had lived. But since he didn't, I find that I am enjoying the things that I didn't have the time to do before I retired. Even if it is just spending a day with a good book. Or being able to go out for a day and not having to hurry back home. So for me, each day that I wake up is a bonus, and knowing that those days are limited makes them more precious to me. This probably makes no sense to anyone but me!

About Me

Mom of four and Grandma of six, who writes about family events both past and present as well as anything else that happens to come to mind, shares new photos as well as old and who enjoys life in general.